# 一言
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): yīyán
    (Zhuyin): ㄧ ㄧㄢˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): jat$^1$ jin$^4$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): yit-ngièn / yit-ngiàn
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): it-giân / it-gân
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^7$iq-yi; $^7$iq $^6$yi
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: yīyán [Phonetic: yìyán]
*** Zhuyin: ㄧ ㄧㄢˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: yiyán
*** Wade–Giles: i$^1$-yen$^2$
*** Yale: yī-yán
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: iyan
*** Palladius: иянь (ijanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ jɛn³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: jat$^1$ jin$^4$
*** Yale: yāt yìhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: jat$^7$ jin$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: yed$^1$ yin$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /jɐt̚⁵ jiːn²¹/
* Hakka
** (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yit-ngièn
*** Hakka Romanization System: id$^ˋ$ ngien$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: yid$^5$ ngian$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /it̚² ŋi̯en¹¹/
** (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yit-ngiàn
*** Hakka Romanization System: (r)id$^ˋ$ ngian$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: yid$^5$ ngian$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /(j)it̚² ŋi̯an¹¹/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: it-giân
*** Tâi-lô: it-giân
*** Phofsit Daibuun: itgieen
*** IPA (Taipei, Xiamen): /it̚³²⁻⁴ ɡiɛn²⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /it̚³²⁻⁴ ɡiɛn²³/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /it̚⁵⁻²⁴ ɡiɛn²⁴/
** (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: it-gân
*** Tâi-lô: it-gân
*** Phofsit Daibuun: itgaan
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /it̚³²⁻⁵ ɡan¹³/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^7$iq-yi; $^7$iq $^6$yi
*** MiniDict: ih$^入$ yi; ih$^入$ yi$^去$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^4$iq-hhi; $^4$iq $^3$hhi
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /iɪʔ³³ ɦi⁴⁴/, /iɪʔ⁴⁴ ɦi²³/

### Noun

一言
* (literary) one sentence; something to say; brief remark
* (literary) one character

#### Derived terms

* 一言一行 (yīyányīxíng)
* 一言不發 / 一言不发 (yīyánbùfā)
* 一言九鼎 (yīyánjiǔdǐng)
* 一言以蔽之 (yīyán yǐ bì zhī)
* 一言堂 (yīyántáng)
* 一言為定 / 一言为定 (yīyánwéidìng)
* 一言蔽之 (yīyánbìzhī)
* 一言難盡 / 一言难尽 (yīyánnánjìn)

#### Descendants

* → Korean: 일언(一言) (ireon)
* → Vietnamese: nhất ngôn (一言)

## Japanese
### Etymology 1

Kanji in this term :
| 一 | 言 |
| いち Grade: 1 | ごん Grade: 2 |
| on'yomi ||
From Middle Chinese compound 一言 (ʔjit ngjon, literally “one + speech, word”). The goon, so likely the initial borrowing.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) いちごん [ìchígóń] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [it͡ɕiɡõ̞ɴ]

#### Noun

一(いち)言(ごん) • (ichigon)
* a (single) word, a few words

##### Idioms

* 一言以(いちごんも)って之(これ)を蔽(おお)う (ichigon motte kore o ōu): “to cover this with one word/phrase” → to sum up complicated details in a few short words
* 一言(いちごん)も無(な)い (ichigon mo nai): “not even a word” → to be speechless; to have nothing to say
* 一言一句(いちごんいっく) (ichigon ikku): “one word on phrase” → word by word, distinctly (as when speaking carefully)
* 一言半句(いちごんはんく) (ichigon hanku): “one word half a phrase” → word by word, distinctly (as when speaking carefully)
* 一言既(いちごんすで)に出(い)ずれば駟馬(しば)も追(お)い難(がた)し (ichigon sude ni izureba shiba mo oigatashi): “a word once said is hard to catch even with a four-horse team”

##### Derived terms

* 一言居士(いちごんこじ) (ichigon koji): a person who must speak their mind about everything
* 一言詩(いちごんし) (ichigon shi): a traditional poem wherein a single character is used to fit the meter of a whole line

#### Verb

一(いち)言(ごん)する • (ichigon suru) suru (stem 一(いち)言(ごん)し (ichigon shi), past 一(いち)言(ごん)した (ichigon shita))
* to say a few words

##### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 一言し | いちごんし | ichigon shi |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 一言し | いちごんし | ichigon shi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 一言する | いちごんする | ichigon suru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 一言する | いちごんする | ichigon suru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 一言すれ | いちごんすれ | ichigon sure |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 一言せよ¹ 一言しろ² | いちごんせよ¹ いちごんしろ² | ichigon seyo¹ ichigon shiro² |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 一言される | いちごんされる | ichigon sareru |
| Causative | 一言させる 一言さす | いちごんさせる いちごんさす | ichigon saseru ichigon sasu |
| Potential | 一言できる | いちごんできる | ichigon dekiru |
| Volitional | 一言しよう | いちごんしよう | ichigon shiyō |
| Negative | 一言しない | いちごんしない | ichigon shinai |
| Negative continuative | 一言せず | いちごんせず | ichigon sezu |
| Formal | 一言します | いちごんします | ichigon shimasu |
| Perfective | 一言した | いちごんした | ichigon shita |
| Conjunctive | 一言して | いちごんして | ichigon shite |
| Hypothetical conditional | 一言すれば | いちごんすれば | ichigon sureba |
| ¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ||||

### Etymology 2

Kanji in this term :
| 一 | 言 |
| いち Grade: 1 | げん Grade: 2 |
| on'yomi ||
Shift in pronunciation from ichigon above, using the kan'on of gen for the 言 character.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) いちげん [ìchígéń] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [it͡ɕiɡẽ̞ɴ]

#### Noun

一(いち)言(げん) • (ichigen)
* a (single) word, a few words

##### Idioms

* 一言以(いちげんも)って之(これ)を蔽(おお)う (ichigen motte kore o ōu): “to cover this with one word/phrase” → to sum up complicated details in a few short words

##### Derived terms

* 一言一行(いちげんいっこう) (ichigen ikkō): one action and one word
* 一言居士(いちげんこじ) (ichigen koji): a person who must speak their mind about everything

#### Verb

一(いち)言(げん)する • (ichigen suru) suru (stem 一(いち)言(げん)し (ichigen shi), past 一(いち)言(げん)した (ichigen shita))
* to say a few words

##### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 一言し | いちげんし | ichigen shi |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 一言し | いちげんし | ichigen shi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 一言する | いちげんする | ichigen suru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 一言する | いちげんする | ichigen suru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 一言すれ | いちげんすれ | ichigen sure |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 一言せよ¹ 一言しろ² | いちげんせよ¹ いちげんしろ² | ichigen seyo¹ ichigen shiro² |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 一言される | いちげんされる | ichigen sareru |
| Causative | 一言させる 一言さす | いちげんさせる いちげんさす | ichigen saseru ichigen sasu |
| Potential | 一言できる | いちげんできる | ichigen dekiru |
| Volitional | 一言しよう | いちげんしよう | ichigen shiyō |
| Negative | 一言しない | いちげんしない | ichigen shinai |
| Negative continuative | 一言せず | いちげんせず | ichigen sezu |
| Formal | 一言します | いちげんします | ichigen shimasu |
| Perfective | 一言した | いちげんした | ichigen shita |
| Conjunctive | 一言して | いちげんして | ichigen shite |
| Hypothetical conditional | 一言すれば | いちげんすれば | ichigen sureba |
| ¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ||||

### Etymology 3

Kanji in this term :
| 一 | 言 |
| ひと Grade: 1 | こと Grade: 2 |
| kun'yomi ||
Compound of 一 (hito, “one”) +‎ 言 (koto, “word, speech”).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ひとこと [hìtóꜜkòtò] (Nakadaka –)
* IPA: [çi̥to̞ko̞to̞]

#### Noun

一(ひと)言(こと) • (hitokoto)
* a (single) word, a few words

##### Idioms

* 一言多(ひとことおお)い (hitokoto ōi): “a word [too] many” → to say too much, to say something better left unsaid

### References

* 1 2 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* 1 2 3 4 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN